Sylvester-Karmazin workout

Team Sauerland

IBF Middleweight Champion Sebastian Sylvester and mandatory challenger Roman Karmazin today conducted a public training session in Neubrandenburg, Germany. The two fighters will clash on Saturday night, with Steve Cunningham and Troy Ross also meeting for the vacant IBF Cruiserweight Title. Sylvester looked in great shape during today’s session with head coach Karsten Rower. “I am still a little tired from all the hard training sessions in the past weeks but I am slowly but surely reaching 100 percent for Saturday,” Sylvester said. “I look forward to fighting in front of my home crowd again. After all, the Jahnsportforum is like my living room. The fans have helped me big time in the last couple of fights and I hope to put on an exciting performance against Karmazin. He is a tough challenger, who is very skilled, strong and fast, but I will defeat him.”

Sylvester (33-3, 16 KOs) animated the fans in attendance to join his warm-up session. He also asked a 12-year-old fan to come into the ring and help him with his exercises. “I really enjoy these kind of work-outs,” he said. “It is great fun, especially for the fans.”

Karmazin (40-3, 26 KOs), who was joined by promoter Steven Bash, showed some shadow boxing during his training. “Sylvester is a tough fighter,” the former IBF Light Middleweight Champion said. “You can tell he trains a lot and that he is a hard worker. I think that is probably his greatest strength coming into the fight. He has a very good jab and a good right hand. Plus, he has the strength of fighting in his home town. But I think my chances of winning are great. I am here to win. It’s boxing. Anything can happen in the ring. It is impossible to predict what will happen. But I am very confident.”

And he added: “If I take the title, it will mean that I have accomplished what no other Russian boxer has ever been able to accomplish – win world titles in two different weight classes. And it will silence all of the critics who said I couldn’t do it.”